Singapore will bar the use of smartphones and smartwatches in secondary schools starting in January, as countries debate how to curb children’s access to digital devices.
The move aims to cultivate healthier screen-use habits among students, the Ministry of Education said in a statement on Sunday. Under the new policy, students must store their devices in designated areas or in their school bags during the day, though schools may permit limited use in specific cases.
Currently, phones are prohibited during lesson time, while the enhanced rules expand the ban to cover non-lesson periods such as recess, co-curricular activities and enrichment lessons.
“Screen use among students has been shown to displace important activities such as sleep, physical activity and social interactions with friends and family, and is linked to poorer holistic well-being,” the ministry said.
“Our collective goal is to create a school environment that prioritizes students’ learning and enhances their engagement, fostering healthier habits on screen use and better well-being for all students,” it continued.
Singapore is not the only country implementing new rules around child access to social media. A senior official said last month that Malaysia plans to ban social media accounts for children under 16 starting next year to protect them from online harm, joining a similar crackdown in Australia.
Reporting by Philip J. Heijmans
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